School bus driver arrested in heroin deal, police say

Maldane Cockett, 26, a school bus driver from Copiague, was arrested and charged with criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance on Monday, April 18, 2016, Nassau County police said. Photo Credit: NCPD

Maldane Cockett, 26, a school bus driver from Copiague, was arrested and charged with criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance on Monday, April 18, 2016, Nassau County police said. (Credit: NCPD)

A school bus driver from Copiague was charged with selling heroin to another person Monday night in North Massapequa, Nassau County police said.

Maldane Cockett, 26, of Bethpage Road, was arrested at 8:05 p.m. by members of the Nassau-Suffolk Heroin Task Force and the Nassau police Bureau of Special Operations, police said.

Police did not disclose the amount of heroin, the sale price or other details.

Online court records show Cockett was arraigned on two drug felonies in First District Court in Hempstead. Bail was set at $12,500 bond or $7,500 cash. It was not immediately posted, the records show.

Cockett works for Educational Bus Transportation of Copiague, a subsidiary of the Trans Group of upstate Spring Valley. A company spokesman said Cockett had been “removed from service” and would not be driving a school bus pending the outcome of the charges.

“Additionally, our drivers undergo a rigorous hiring process and are randomly tested for drugs and alcohol for the duration of their employment,” the company said in a statement. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter.”